William b



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E. A. BIRCHER.

MACHINE ron emma ENvELoPs.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. I4. ISH- Panted Aug. 15, 1916.

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Snucnkoo E. A. BIRCHER. MACHINE roR oyimrm ENvELoIPs. APPLICATION FILED DEC. I4. ISH.

1,194,701 Pa.wnd1ug.15,1916.

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Svwwnlow LWL-@MM EUGENE A. BIRCHER, 0F ROCHESTER,

ROCHESTER, NEW YORK,

GEORGE A. COGSWELL, 0F ROCHESTER,

NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO HARRY C. NOBLES, 0F WILLIAM .B. THURSTON, 0F LIVONIA, NEW YORK, AND

NEW YORK.

MACHINE FOR OPENING ENVELOPS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 15, 1916.

Application flied December 14, 1911. Serial No. 665,853.

1/ o all lwhom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, EUGENE A. Bmcnun, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in Machines for Opening Enve ops, of which the following is a specification.

'The object of this invention is to provide a machine for opening envelops such as are ordinarily used in mailing letters, the machine being constructed to open the envelop by cutting off a small portion therefrom along any edge of the envelop.

Another object of my invention is to construct the machine so that a rotary feed roll may be used to feed the envelo s and a rotary cutter may be used to cut t ie envelops.

Another object of my invention is to adjust the feeding mechanism so that the edge on which the cut is intended to be made will be held in line with the cutting mechanism of the machine as the envelop passes through the machine.

Another object of my invention is to so construct the machine that it may be power driven, and the machine is preferably so designed as to contain therein an electric motor by which it may be driven.

These and other objects of my invention will be fully illustrated in the drawings, described in the specification and pointed out Y in the claims at the end thereof.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical transverse section through the machine on the line 1"l" of Figs. 2 and 3. Fig. 2 is a tog plan view of the machine. Fig. 3 is a si e elevation of the machine. Fig. 4 is a detail view showing the manner of varying the distance between the cutting disk and the disk which, determines the width of the cut.

In the several drawings like reference characters indicate like arts.

My machine preferab y comprises the u rights 2 and 3 tied'toget 1er by the stay rods 4, 5 and 6,-which sta rods are shouldered and are provided wit reduced ends which are threaded and which are enga ed by nuts or other suitable holding devices or the purpose of clamping the uprights 2 and 8 firmly 1n place with the stay rods.

washer 13.

1s placed the disk cutter 12 and the washer 13 which is threaded to engage with the rcv duced end 11 of the sleeve 10, and 'between the washer 13 and the shouldered end of' the sleeve 10, the disk cutter 12 is held in place. Between the disk 13 and the cutter 12 one or more walJhers may be inserted for the purpose of increasing the space between the edge of the cutting disk 12 and the face of The inner face of the washer 13 will normall come in line with the flange'26 of the cutting table hereinafter described, so that the distance between the cutting edge ofthe rotary cutter and the inner face of the washer determines the depth of the cut which is made on the side.

of the envelop, and by interposing small washers 13 between the washer 13 and the cutting disk 12, the depth of the cut may be increased to any desired amount (sce Fig 4) y ounted to rotate in the uprights 2 and 3 iS the shaft 14 on which is carried the feed roller 15. This shaft lil carries at the lefthand end, as shown in Fig. 1, the driving pulley 16 which is driven by a belt 17 from a pulley 18 on the shaft of the electric motor. This shaft 14 has keyed thereto thc gear 19 which rotates therewith. Keyed to this shaft is also provided the collar 20 which rotates integrally therewith. The feed roller 15 is provided with a sleeve 2l which may or may not be integral therewith.

A s ring 22 is pressed between the collar 20 an the sleeve 21 and tends to move the sleeve 21 and the roller 15 to the right along the shaft 14. The roller 15 is splined at 23, which permits the roller to move lengthwise with the shaft but compels the roller to rotate with the shaft when the shaft is rotated. The spring 22 forces the roller 23 to the right so as to make contact with the circular cutting blade 12, although it is obvious that the roller 15 might be rigidly mounted on the shaft 14 and the spring pressure might be applied to the cutting blade 12 instead, to move it laterally against the roller.

The sleeve 9 with which the cutting blade 12 is mounted to rotate in unison, carries at its left hand end a gear 24.- with which engages a gear 19 by which the two are driven 1n unison, the gearing bein proportioned so as to cause the cutting bla( e to revolve with a peripheral velocity slightly in excess of the ieripheral velocity of the feed roller 15.

lv ounted on the upright 3 is the feed table 25 on which the envelops may be placed for the purpose of feeding them through the machine. This feed table has a flange 26 bent up on one side thereof, which flange is intended to hold the envelops in line with the cutting wheel as they pass thereunder. Mounted on this flange 26 is the spring arm 27 whiclrcarries at its forward end the soft roller 28 which bears lightly, preferably by gravity, upon the feed tab e 25 or the envelop as it passes between the roller 28 and the feed table 25. 4

The axis 29 upon which the .feed roller is mounted is laced at an angle to the stay rod 5 aroundp which the cutting wheel 12 rotates, so that as the envelop moves forward the roller 28 tends to move the envelop to the left and holdthe edge thereof in line with the cutting wheel.

The roller 28 may be driven by the friction of the feed of the envelop or may be driven by power in an suitable way. The cutting blade 12 is un( ercut, as appears in cross section in Fig. 1 at 30, so that in the rotation of the fee roll 15 and the cutting 'blade 12 the sharp edge of the cutting blade is always brought to bear against the edge of the feed roll. The spring 22 pxresses t e edge of the feed roll 15 against t e edge of the cutting wheel so as to cause the two continually to grind against each other, insu'rin a sharp cut and also assisting to keep the edge of the cutting wheel sharp.

For the purpose of controlling the motor I provide t e hand switch 31 shown in Figs. 1 and 3, which is )ivoted at 32. This hand switch is provide at the bottom with the tip 33, made of fiber or other suitable material with which it contacts with the spring 34 which forms one side of the electric circuit. By depressing the switch 31 a spring 34 is brought into contact with the plate 35 which forms the other side of the circuit by which the current is fed to the motor for driving it.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and patentable is as follows:

1. In a machine-for openingr envelops, the combination with a table and a guide ilange thereon, of a disk mounted to rotate sul stantially in a line with the guide flange, a circular cutter havingless diameter than the disk, rotatable about an axis common to the 'axis of the said disk and adjustable toward and from the said disk to vary the depth of the cut, and a feeding cutter yieldingly engagin thc circular cutter to adapt itself to the ac )ustment of the said circular cutter.

2. In a machine 'for opening envelops, the combination with a table having a guide thereon, of a shaft .supported 'above said ta ble and havingr a screw threaded portion and u shoulder adjacent thereto, a, circular cutter arranged on said screw threaded portion, and a disk of greater diameter than the cutter, having screw threaded engage ment with said screw threaded portion and adapted to clamp the cutter against the shoulder, said disk serving to determine the width of the cut by its relative position to the circular cutter.

3. In a machine for opening cnvclops, the combination with a table having a guide tiange thereon, of a pair of rotary cutters for removing one edge of an envelop movable alon the guide, one of said cutters turning a out an axis on one side of the table and the other of said cutters turning about an axis on the other side of the table, and a disk arranged to turn about an axis common to the upper cutter, said disk having a greater diameter than the cutter and being adJustable toward and from the cutter to vary the width of the chip to be cut from an envelop.

4. In a machine for opening envelops, the

lcombination of a table having a guide flange thereon, Ot' a disk mounted to rotate suhstantially in a line with the guide lange, and a 'circular cutter rotatable about an axis common to the axis of the said disk and adjustable toward and from the. said disk, and a feeding cutter yieldingly engaging the eircular cutter to adapt itself to the ad justmcnt of the said circular cutter.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EUGENE A. B'IRGlllllt. Witnesses:

LENA M. Asn, ALICE M. JouANNs.

copies of this patent may bo obtained for ave cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. O. 

